Media storage systems are well-known in the art and are commonly used to store data cartridges at known locations and to retrieve desired data cartridges as needed so that data may be written to and/or read from the data cartridges. Such media storage systems are also often referred to as autochangers or library storage systems.
The data cartridges are typically stored in individual storage locations at various levels throughout the media storage system. A cartridge-engaging assembly or “picker” may be provided for engaging and transporting the various data cartridges stored therein. For example, the picker may access a data cartridge from a “mail slot” and transport the data cartridge to another storage location in the media storage system. As another example, the picker may transport a data cartridge from a storage location to a read/write device for read and/or write operations.
Various systems for transporting data cartridges in the media storage system are available. However, these systems are often complex, having many different components for effecting movement of the picker in the media storage system. High part-count increases assembly time, maintenance, and ultimately the cost of the media storage system.